Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IG vs Eightcap, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
When it comes to choosing an online broker, understanding trustworthiness and regulatory standards is key. IG, founded in 1974, stands out with an impressive Trust Score of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, reflecting the highest level of trust. As a publicly traded bank, IG holds 8 Tier-1 licenses, signaling a strong commitment to regulatory compliance. Additionally, IG boasts 2 Tier-2 licenses, further solidifying its reputation for reliability in the financial sector.
Comparatively, Eightcap, which was established in 2009, offers a respectable Trust Score of 85. Although not a publicly traded company or a bank, Eightcap demonstrates a commendable level of trust with 3 Tier-1 licenses under its belt. However, it holds no Tier-2 licenses, which may be a consideration for some users. While both brokers have their strengths, IG's extensive history and regulatory credentials give it a distinct edge for those prioritizing trust and control in an online trading partner.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2009 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | Yes | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
IG and Eightcap both compete on pricing, but they target slightly different traders. IG earns 5/5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #8 of 63 at ForexBrokers.com, while Eightcap scores 4/5 stars and ranks #27 of 63. On headline pricing, Eightcap’s Raw account comes in around 0.76 pips all-in on EUR/USD (0.06-pip average spread plus a $3.50 per side commission), which is just under the ~0.8-pip industry average. By comparison, IG’s Forex Direct (DMA) spread averaged 0.62 pips in July 2023; with a top-tier commission of about 0.2 pips round turn, the total works out near 0.82 pips. That means Eightcap’s Raw account can undercut IG’s DMA all-in rate out of the box, while IG’s strengths show up for high-volume and professional traders.
IG offers both spread-only CFD pricing and a commission-based DMA option via its L2 Dealer platform (minimum £1,000), with tiered commissions based on monthly volume. For CFDs, IG’s typical EUR/USD spread during the main session averaged 0.69 pips in July 2023, 0.98 pips across all sessions globally (IG US averaged 1.18 pips), and widened during lower-liquidity hours. Active-trader rebates for qualifying professionals can reduce CFD spreads by 10% to 20%; for example, a 20% rebate on a 0.76-pip spread lowers the effective cost to about 0.60 pips. On the DMA side, the July 2023 average spread was 0.62 pips, and at the best commission tier (about 0.2 pips round turn) the all-in cost is roughly 0.82 pips, with deeper discounts tied to very high monthly volumes.
Eightcap keeps pricing simple with two choices: the spread-only Standard account or the commission-based Raw account. The Raw account lists a 0.06-pip average spread; after the $3.50 per side commission, the all-in cost is roughly 0.76 pips—slightly below the industry average and generally sharper than IG’s DMA figure cited above unless you qualify for IG’s higher-volume discounts or rebates. Overall, Eightcap is competitive, though it is still a touch pricier than the very lowest-cost brokers.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | 1.0 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.76 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
IG vs Eightcap: both brokers support forex trading as CFDs and spot, but IG offers a much wider range of markets. IG lists 19,537 tradeable symbols and 97 forex pairs, compared with Eightcap’s 803 symbols and 55 pairs. If you want more choices across indices, commodities, forex, and more, IG’s catalogue is far larger.
Asset access also differs. IG lets clients buy exchange-traded shares on U.S. and international markets, while Eightcap does not offer actual stock trading. For crypto, IG supports both real (delivered) cryptocurrency and crypto CFDs; Eightcap limits crypto to CFDs. Eightcap does provide copy trading, which IG does not. Reflecting these differences, IG earns 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Eightcap scores 3.5 stars and ranks #41.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 803 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 55 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
IG and Eightcap both provide free demo accounts for paper trading, along with Windows desktop downloads and web-based platforms. Each broker lets you place trades directly from charts. A key difference is that IG offers its own proprietary, in-house platform, while Eightcap relies on third-party platforms rather than a custom-built option.
Both brokers support MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Only Eightcap also offers MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and supports copy trading; IG does not offer copy trading or MT5. According to ForexBrokers.com, IG earns 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 63 for Trading Platforms and Tools, while Eightcap earns 4 stars and ranks #39—highlighting IG’s stronger overall toolkit, with Eightcap standing out for MT5 access and copy trading features.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both IG and Eightcap offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app includes price alerts for forex and stocks, plus watchlist syncing so changes you make on mobile show up in your web account. For charting, both let you draw trendlines and automatically save your drawings. IG provides 33 built-in technical studies, while Eightcap offers 30, so IG gives you a few more indicators to work with.
When it comes to quality scores, IG’s mobile app earns 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. Eightcap’s app is rated 4 stars and ranks #39 out of 63. In short, both apps cover the key features traders expect, but IG stands out for its higher rating and slightly deeper charting toolkit.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
IG and Eightcap both cover the basics for market research: each provides daily market commentary, an economic calendar, sentiment tools that show the ratio of long vs. short positions, and access to Acuity Trading (Signal Centre). This means traders with either broker can track upcoming events, gauge crowd positioning, and receive trading signals.
The differences appear in third‑party research and news. IG adds forex news from top‑tier sources (such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones), Autochartist pattern recognition, and TipRanks insights—features that Eightcap does not offer. Neither broker includes Trading Central. Reflecting these gaps, IG earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Eightcap scores 3.5 stars and ranks #40. For traders who value premium news feeds and extra research tools, IG offers a more feature‑rich research experience; Eightcap covers essentials but with fewer add‑ons.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
IG vs Eightcap: both brokers provide forex and CFD education with at least 10 learning pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars. Each hosts ongoing client webinars (at least monthly), and both offer at least 10 beginner-friendly videos to help new traders learn the basics. Where they differ is depth for experienced traders: IG also supplies at least 10 advanced trading videos, while Eightcap does not.
That difference shows in independent ratings. For education, IG earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while Eightcap scores 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #40. If you want the widest learning path from beginner to advanced, IG is the stronger pick. If you only need core beginner education and regular webinars, Eightcap can cover the essentials.
| Feature |
IG
|
Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IG is better than Eightcap. IG finished with an overall rank of #1, while Eightcap finished with an overall rank of #38.
IG offers the ultimate comprehensive trading package, featuring excellent trading and research tools, industry-leading education, and an extensive range of tradeable markets.
| Feature |
IG
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Eightcap
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 |
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IG vs Eightcap: IG supports buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies as well as trading cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas Eightcap offers only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not support purchasing delivered crypto.
IG vs Eightcap: both brokers support bank wire transfers and PayPal for deposits and withdrawals, IG also offers ACH/SEPA but not Skrill, while Eightcap supports Skrill but not ACH/SEPA; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | IG | Eightcap | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Eightcap Review |
| Broker Screenshots | IG | Eightcap | |
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| Regulation | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Year Founded | 1974 | 2009 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 19537 | 803 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 97 | 55 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.98 | 1.0 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.82 | 0.76 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £250.00 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 33 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 33 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | IG | Eightcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | IG Review | Eightcap Review |
| Overall | IG | Eightcap | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | IG Review | Eightcap Review |
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